MONTREAL — George Russell and Max Verstappen are front and centre once again.
Two weeks after colliding in Spain, Russell and Verstappen will battle at the top of the grid in Formula One’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Russell stormed to pole position in Montreal for the second consecutive year Saturday in qualifying, clocking a blistering lap of one minute 10.899 seconds to finish .160 ahead of Verstappen at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
“Probably the most exhilarating lap I've ever done in my life,” Russell said. “Every corner I was going to attempt faster, attempt faster, and it was just like the car was on rails.
“Crossing the line when you do a lap like that, to get pole position afterwards as well, was just insane. I had goose bumps in that moment.”
Russell claimed his first pole this season — and sixth of his career.
He and Verstappen also went 1-2 during qualifying in Montreal 12 months ago, only for Verstappen to win the race a third consecutive year while Russell finished third.
This year’s Canadian GP comes after Verstappen bumped into Russell during the Spanish GP and received three penalty points, bringing the Red Bull driver — and four-time reigning world champion — to 11 over a 12-month period.
Verstappen, who later apologized for his actions, is now one point shy of a one-race suspension.
So might Russell try to draw Verstappen into another infraction heading into the first turn Sunday?
“I've got a few more points in my licence to play with,” the Mercedes driver said from the racetrack, stoking the fire before a rowdy crowd.
Russell later explained that Verstappen’s penalty situation won’t change how he drives.
"I don't think any driver goes out looking to crash into somebody,” the British racer said. “Max is one of the best drivers. There's no reason for him to race any differently. And I'm not sitting here thinking he's going to give us more room. If anything, probably the opposite to try and prove a point.
“I'll be keeping an eye, but ultimately we're all here to win, and you're not going to do something that's going to jeopardize yourself from the race.”
Verstappen, meanwhile, is sick and tired of talking about penalty points.
"I don't need to hear it again. It's really pissing me off,” he said to a room of reporters. “It's such a waste of time, it's very childish. That's why I also don't want to say too much, because it's really annoying this world that we live in."
Formula One leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren (1:11.120) rounded out the top three on a sunny, 22 C afternoon in Montreal. The Australian said he was happy to start in the second row after tricky practice sessions Friday and earlier Saturday.
"Quite happy here in P3,” he said. "Our pace on race days, generally we're strong. These two next to me were very quick in the race runs yesterday, so it's certainly not going to be a slam-dunk win, but I think we're definitely in the fight."
Piastri leads teammate Lando Norris by 10 points in the drivers’ standings. Norris qualified a disappointing seventh.
“It’s gonna make my race more exciting,” Norris said.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli was fourth, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will start sixth.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Williams’ Alex Albon initially filled out the top 10.
Hadjar, however, received a three-place penalty for impeding Williams’ Carlos Sainz Jr., bumping him to 12th and pushing Franco Colapinto to 10th.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll — the lone Canadian on the 20-driver grid — was eliminated in the first round and will start 17th.
Stroll returned to racing this weekend after undergoing a minor wrist procedure and missing the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month.
“Not the session we wanted,” said Stroll, adding his wrist felt fine. “We’ll try to climb tomorrow.”
Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda will start last after receiving a 10-place grid penalty for red flag infringement during the final free practice session earlier Saturday.
Star swimmer Summer McIntosh, fresh off breaking three world records in one week at the Canadian swimming trials, watched the qualifying session from the back of Red Bull’s garage while decked in the team’s merchandise.
Before Russell’s third-place result last year, the pole winner had crossed the finish line first in each of the previous seven Canadian GPs. Only Sebastian Vettel didn’t win the race in 2019 due to a five-second penalty.
Russell said the difference this year in a race of razor-thin margins could be the weather.
"It's something literally as simple as if it clouded over, could give us a two-tenth advantage over McLaren,” he said of a Mercedes car that runs better in cooler temperatures. “If the sun comes out, that sort of neutralizes everything.
“It's a little bit out of our hands right now, but regardless of the conditions, we're obviously starting in the best place."
This year’s Canadian GP is the 10th stop of the 24-race championship. McLaren holds a sizable 197-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
